


All Hands on Deck

by ChiTea



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Humanstuck, otp fluff, poolstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-06-14
Packaged: 2017-11-23 08:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/619934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiTea/pseuds/ChiTea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vriska Serket and Feferi Peixes seem like just about the most different people. Feferi is bubbly, friendly, and popular; a sweet, typical teenage girl. Vriska is punky, a rebel. She is dangerous and cocky and generally disliked. So when the two forces clash during the summer, their similarities are what brings them together in ways nobody would have expected. Being with Vriska gives Feferi the sort of dangerous rush that she secretly loves, and Feferi’s sweetness makes Vriska just the slightest bit more agreeable. And they both love the water.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Public Pool Problems

**Author's Note:**

> (getting otp feels from your own fic is kind of a problem idk how this stuff is supposed to work guys so it wont be super classy but enjoy!)

My name is Vriska Serket, and I am absolutely going to get the perfect tan this summer.

It is just about a guarantee. I know, I said so last summer and then didn’t, but that was because I had to go to my grandma’s funeral. And then Germany, and it is just about impossible to get a tan in Germany at all. Plus it’s fucking cold.

But this year, I am prepared. I have my sunscreen and my towel, and the perfect bikini (spiderman themed! Who knew they even existed) and my shades. I walk into the public pool feeling confident, because I have the entire day off just for lying by the pool on one of those crappy plastic poolside chairs. My coke is uncomfortably cold in my hand, and my flip-flops are audibly flip-flopping on the concrete. There is an empty chair down on the other side of the pool, towards the end, when I come in, and I’m just walking over there and maaaaybe checking out the new lifeguard when someone calls my name.

It’s Feferi Peixes. Of course she would be here. The girl practically lives underwater. She’s filthy rich, and popular at our high school, and on the swim team. Boys are all over this one. Feferi has this long, brown, curly hair and a cute round face, with dimples and baby cheeks. She’s got a thicker build than I do, and honestly, I’m a little jealous of her curves. At the moment, though, she’s wearing her goggles and not looking nearly as enviable as normal. It irritates me that she’s here to actually swim, because she was born with the perfect tan and therefore has no reason to waste her afternoon on it. 

She waves wildly at me, then ducks under the water and resurfaces at the edge of the pool where I’m standing. “Hi Vriska! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you liked to swim! That’s so coooool, you should join the swim team with us! And don’t worry about not making it or anything. Everyone got on who tried out! Our coach is kind of retarded that way.” She pulls a face and then giggles at herself.

Did I mention? This chick’s a total ditz.

“Peixes,” I sigh, “I am not here to swim. I am here to get a tan! I don’t suppose you would understand, but I come from a long line of pale as fuck Germans, and I don’t plan on looking like this-“ I crouch and shove my bony, pale, and irritatingly mottled arm towards her face “-all summer. It’s embaaaarassing!” I stand back up again, muttering a curse as my coke sloshes on my hand, and nod at her. She sticks a tongue at me and then laughs, calling “Whatever!” to me as she pushes off the wall into a flawless backstroke. “I’ll get you in the pool before the end of the day, mark my words!” She shouts in my general direction, teasingly. I doubt she could get me out of my chair if she tried, so I wave it off with my free hand and turn to continue my walk to my chair, only to find that it has been taken.

“Fuck.”

I scan the perimeter of the pool area. There is another section of lawn chairs all the way on the opposite side of the pool, and with a deep sigh and a glare at the chick who took mine, I walk over there and set my stuff down. Normally, I listen to my iPod while tanning, but I just don’t feel like listening to music right now. The sun is warm on my skin, and I watch some birds that are circling around what is probably roadkill from behind shades. The sky looks slightly less blue than normal through them, and I turn my gaze to the lifeguard for a while until it starts hurting my neck and I lean back again onto the crappy plastic strips that make up this crappy pool chair by this crappy public pool. It’s kind of a beautiful day.

This is incredibly boring, even more so than I expected it would be without music. The possible only interesting thing happening here is a group of kids fighting in the pool. Feferi is still swimming laps, and that’s not really the most interesting thing to watch. The techniques are kind of cool though, especially the butterfly. I took a swimming class when I was 10, and they tried to teach us that one, but all I ever did was flail in the water. Which is why swimming is absolutely not my thing, and why Feferi is totally wrong about me joining swim team. And 6 A.M. meets? Definitely not my cup of tea.

I set my iPod to shuffle and Nirvana starts playing. I lie back down and brush my bangs out of my face. My stomach is uncomfortably warm, and I turn over and try to find a comfortable position for my face and fail miserably. I settle for mashing my cheek against the plastic strips, and take off my shades so they don’t poke me too much. My bangs fall in my face and tickle my nose, and I blow it out of the way. Pff. It is just as exhasperated as I feel, and I have no idea why. Something with Feferi, I suppose, or possibly just the heat making me irritated. Either way, it’s totally irrational, and that bothers me.

It could just be the heat, but as I watch her swim past again (backstroke) I feel quite strongly that there is a little something more than just a popular ditz there.


	2. Butterfly Stroke and the Obvious Irritations. Also Boys.

My name is Feferi Peixes, and I am having a fabulous summer.

It is only the second day of break, of course, but it’s a beautiful day! I’m at the pool, which is always a plus, and am certain that my butterfly stroke has been improving. It always drove me crazy, and I am going to work and work at it all summer until I are absolutely sure there is nofin wrong with it! Whoops, I mean nothing. 

Down, up, breathe, down. The pattern is etched into my brain, into my muscles, and I pull at the water as I surface again. I have been here long enough now that I can feel my body working hard, not just going for a fun swim. I need to make the most of my time here. Down, up, breathe, down. Pull with your hands. Get in the rhythm. Come on, Feferi. Focus. Work as hard as if there was a medal in it for you every time you swim, as Coach says.

I tag the end of the pool and surface, breathing a little harder than usual, and tread water for a minute while I remove my goggles. There, I can see much better now. Vriska is lying face down on one of the chairs - closer to where I am now, instead of where she was headed before! That’s funny. Dave and John are just coming in, and waving exuberantly at the lifeguard, whom I now realize is Dave’s older brother, Dirk. He is absolutely adorable up there with his weird anime shades and abs, and I flush just a little remembering that I have had a mild on-and-off crush on him for a few years now. This is an off time, though, so I can hang out with him like a regular person. He’s a fabulous swimmer too, but won’t join the team despite my constant pleading. He would be one of the other few actually talented people on the team! They’re all perfectly nice people, but they are just not exactly swim team material. Not if the Olympics is the goal, like it is mine.

I climb up onto the side of the pool and walk over to the lifeguard tower. It’s a retarded lifeguard tower, not at all like those cool ones at the beach. It goes about a foot taller than me, all in all, but Dirk sitting on it makes it look cool somehow. Strider charm, I suppose.

I lean my arms on one of the whitewashed wooden planks composing the thing and grin up at Dirk. He is looking straight ahead, judging by the direction his face is, but I honestly can’t see where his eyes are. Just another piece of the mystery! I think that is part of what makes him so interesting to you, but you know he is more than just the ironic coolkid lifeguard. He is sweet and caring and funny, and those are the things that I like about him. But wow, this is getting out of hand. I don’t have time to chase after boys right now!

“Hey, Feferi. What’s up?” He’s looking down at me now, and I smile wider and reply with a “Hi! I was working on my butterfly stroke.” He snorts and I stick out my tongue. “It’s sooo irritating, you wouldn’t believe it.”

“It’s always been my favorite, actually,” he counters. I shrug this off nonchalantly and wag my head in the direction of Dave and John. “You’ve got visitors, Dirk!” They wave, continuing their walk towards us, until John stops and sees Vriska lying on her stomach. He holds his arms out in a circle in front of him and jerks them in her direction with a devilish smirk and I get what he means and giggle at the thought of Vriska getting completely soaked by a bucket of cold water. The image quickly turns scary, though, as my imaginary Vriska gets up, water dripping from her hair, and throttles all of us.

They reach the lifeguard tower and we all exchange fistbumps, even if mine don’t really count because of the whole “JELLYFISH!” thing that I do. John thinks it’s funny, anyways. “Did you talk to Vriska yet? What a waste of pool time, just snoring on the side there and getting your back burned. We definately need to get her in the pool!”

“That’s what I said!” I reply, excitedly. "There needs to be a plan. Dumping a bucket of water is the oldest trick in the book, though, John. Try to be original or something! I talked to her when she came in, and she was being all compainy about her pale-as-fuck Germanness or something,” I share. “I did promise I would get her to come swim, though, sooo...” I trail off, and the boys nod understanding. I will help if I can, and after a quick conference, a decision is reached. Oldschool all the way, as John says, and I find myself holding a bucket only a few minutes later.


	3. The Nerve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it is painfully obvious how fussy Vriska is, and how absolutely perfect Feferi is with her. By which I mean by getting her to shut the fuck up.

I shift my position a little, once again, to try in vain to get a comfortable position on the chair, and lift my head and turn it to the other side. My bikini top is being weird and the strap keeps almost falling off my shoulder, and I raise a hand to fix it.

‘ _And just maybe_  
 _I'm to blame for all I've heard_  
 _I'm not sure_  
 _I'm so excited_  
 _I can't wait to meet you there_  
 _And I don't care_ ’

What is this song even about. Kurt Cobain was one weird dude, but he was a musical genius. My back is getting really hot, and I’m getting up to turn over but my earbud falls out (this wouldn’t have happened if you’d have gotten me those cool skullcandy ones, Mom) and I waste a moment trying to fish it out between the slats. My free ear is bombarded with the sounds of the pool; a baby crying, lots of indistinguishable shouting, and laughter. Specifically, I can pick up the signature giggle of one Feferi Peixes, and I crane my neck to see where she is for me to be able to hear her so clearly. Which would have to be close.

I am barely turned before I am hit full in the face with what I only realize a second later is a bucket of water. All I can tell is that it is cold, and I shriek and fall off the chair onto my butt in a most undignified manner. I am completely soaked. My bangs are covering my eyes, and I hastily push them away and wipe the water off my face, clearing my vision.

Feferi is standing at the foot of my pool chair, holding a bucket with one hand and covering a smile with her other. Her expression is one of guilty pleasure, the bitch, and I vow then and there to get her back for that one. As I scramble to my feet, glowering fiercely and dripping all over my previously dry towel, I see John and Dave, doubled over by the lifeguard tower.

_I’ll get them too._

I get to her with two steps and snatch the bucket, swinging my arm in a wide arc and throwing it at the boys. They catch it easily, which I was expecting, but I was hoping it would hit at least one of them semi-painfully. They sober up quickly, though, and John starts walking over. I glower in his direction and he grins, as though I ever liked him enough that just a smile would make my bones turn to jell-o or something. I’m pretty sure that was a metaphor I read in a book once. Nothing could ever turn my bones to jell-o, or probably even as wobbly as a diving board. My skeleton is strong as iron bars. I am invincible to any and all Egbertine smiles.

“Hi, Vriska!” He is still grinning, and it is much too saucy and not nearly nervous enough for my taste.

“Okay, John, that was a neat prank you pulled there! Dumping a bucket of water all over my sorry, oblivious ass? Classic! And getting Miss Peixes here to do it for you,” I assert, “Was pure genius. Aren’t you just incredibly proud of yourself, Egbert.”

“Wow, okay! I know you’re mad, and I’m sorry, b-” His voice jumps and he holds up his arms and hides behind them, adopting the most cowardly of cowers. My hand is raised, and it’s because he needs to be taught a lesson about not being such a douche and not because I’m mad or offended or uncomfortable at all. I’m fine! I am an extremely strong person, as I conveyed earlier. Not just my skeleton, my entire being is reinforced to the smallest detail, and I am undoubtedly capable of taking down anyone who dares challenge this or me or anything at all, and I don’t care if this is my friend. He is an asshole and FUCK me if I don’t get revenge for this stupid, meaningless prank of his that disrupted my perfectly lovely day.

A cold hand closes around my wrist, and I turn from John to see Feferi standing behind me, her lips pursed in concern. My smile vanishes, and I am going to snatch my hand away and stalk away and probably growl something nasty at her, at all of them. She looks straight into my eyes, and I lean forward and open my mouth to say something and she just looks at me and holds my wrist hard so it almost hurts.

  
“Calm down,” she tells me, all reprimanding, and she reaches her other hand up to my face and holds it there, her fingers tangling just a little with my hair and her palm pressed to my cheek. I find myself gaping like a fish out of water and she looks a little surprised too, and lets go of my wrist and my face and takes a step back. Her eyes don’t go to the ground, but they detach from my eyes and I feel a pressure rise from somewhere on top of my head and stand straight and walk back to my chair. I towel it off and replace my sunglasses and struggle for a minute with the back of the chair, trying to tilt it up more, and I sit down and lean my head back.

My cheeks are red from the sun, which is just about exactly above the pool right now.


	4. Looser Buys the Winner an Icecream

It is the third day of summer break. John and I are by the side of the pool, and I tread water while he holds onto the edge. Vriska is once again lying on her poolside chair, and still hasn’t gotten into the pool to swim, despite our attempts.

“Come on, Vriska!” John cajoles, grinning. “You can’t just stay up there all day, it’s bad for your skin. You’re going to get cancer and die, or another bucket to the face.” She snorts just loudly enough for us to hear, but doesn’t budge from her spot. “What, are you scared of the water?”

Oooh. The trump card. Vriska sits up, leans forward and eyes him steadily over her shades, smiling rather dangerously. I guess it’s weird of me, but that smile makes me excited to no end. Vriska makes things happen, you have to give her that, and the deadlier the smile, the more exciting it will be. The only other time I’d seen this one, it was much worse and ended in a three-day suspension for both her and Terezi (also, the only time Terezi ever got in trouble with the school), and nobody was able to eat in the lunchroom for a week. Her lanky limbs are as graceful as I’ve seen them as she slides up and out of her chair, carefully setting down her iPod and sunglasses. John chuckles to himself, looking smug, and I slip away from the side of the pool, kicking towards the center.

Vriska balances at the very side, her toes curling around the pool’s edge, looking at the 6 feet of water below her like it’s a math test or an especially important D&D move. Calculating, calm - about as quiet as she ever gets, with her flashy style.

She dives straight into the pool, an impressively accurate dive, and rams her hands into John’s side. He goes under one of the waves from her submergence and comes up sputtering, half a second before she does. They both laugh and tread water, and I quickly swim over and laugh with them. “See, isn’t it lovely?”

“It’s fine,” she admits, “but not deep enough. The lake is sooooo much nicer than this wimpy pool.” She continues smiling, though, and takes a deep breath and ducks under the water. I watch her under the water, but John doesn’t and a second later disappears under for the second time since she got into the pool. The last thing I see is the look of confusion on his face, and then Vriska pops up, her hair over her face. I reach out and try to push it away, and she starts going back underwater at the same time and I end up poking her forehead, hard. My finger throbs and I stick it in my mouth, and as soon as she surfaces, whipping her wet hair back and smoothing it with her hands, she glares at me. It’s the kind of look where she’s not really serious, like the only thing hurt is her dignity. She shoves me back at the water, and as my back hits the water I reach out as a reflex and grab her arms. John comes up behind Vriska as we fall down.

We surface one after the other a moment later, and John looks concerned. My hair is in front of my face now, and she laughs at me and pushes it away. I wipe the water out of my eyes.

“Get a room, you two,” John laughs. “Why don’t you get a room with Dave?” Vriska retorts immediately. Dave looks over at us from where he is standing and talking to Dirk. “What?”

John laughs, flushes slightly. “Dave and me are just buddies, Vriska!” “Nobody says ‘buddies’ anymore, John.” She sighs. She looks uncomfortable, as though John had pointed out a legitimate thing. Like she's ashamed of even touching me at all. I suppose that's not a common thing for her, even that simple act of helping me or being close to me at all. To think about it, it isn't. I wonder why, since she so obviously cares about people, that giving any sign of this weakness would be a problem. I doubt it's just keeping up appearances. Then, suddenly, “Race you to the end! Looser has to buy the winner an icecream.” She takes off towards the shallow end of the pool, diving below the water. John and I follow close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow sorry for not posting anything in a while you guys thanks for the bookmark and kudos and stuff ahh??!?!


	5. Texts You Doesn't Text Back

I guess I do have a bit of a bad reputation of making bets I can’t actually pay off. There was the thing with Aradia, man. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make that up. And now even the simplest thing, a fucking ice cream cone, and I can’t get my mom to loan me a single five. An ice cream!!!!!!!! Eight dollars is the absolute most I would need, but noooooo.

I can’t go meet her at the ice cream shop. I’d rather look like a bitch, standing up some girl that I initiated a date with. A date - that’s what it is, isn’t it. Or would be. Would have been. Whatever. That’s what she thought of me originally, anyways, probably still does. No loss.

I spend the afternoon sitting on the couch watching TV and pulling it apart even more at the places the-cat-that-ran-away-because-nobody-fed-it scratched it up. I consider telling my mom that we need a new couch, but I decide against it because this one is comfortable anyways and fuck, it’s not like she would give two shits. The coke I rest on the arm of the couch spills a little, quickly leaving a faint brown stain on the tacky brown fabric. Nothing is on, except a law show that reminds me too much of Terezi and a really bad reality show that I saw an ad for on the bus. I flip aimlessly for a while, going through all hundred-something channels at least twice, and finally settling on a cartoon aimed at an age group considerably below mine. It’s not the show itself that I’m interested in so much as having a distraction. TV is good for not thinking about anything in particular, and I feel my eyes glaze over and I like it that way.

My mom walks through the room a few times, on some sort of conference call. Her voice escalates on each pass, and I would grin if it didn’t take so much work. This is nothing new, except maybe this time she’s talking with some manager in Germany or something. I am not entirely sure what my mother does, actually, but I know she’s some sort of boss of some major company that just rakes in money like nobody’s business. Not enough money that she can spare her only daughter some, I suppose, but I’m not often much more than a mouth to feed, and clothe, and (groan) send to school.

I wonder what Feferi’s doing now.

I check my phone, and it’s 4:20something and I was supposed to meet her a half an hour ago. No doubt she’s left. No new messages.

When I check again at 7 it’s the same, and I continue checking my phone, knowing in the back of my brain that of course I don’t have any texts. I don’t hear any noises all night, all the way up until 11, when my mother gets off the phone and takes a break from paperwork to tell me to get off the computer.

I probably knew that I had never given her my phone number, but it doesn’t fully formulate as an idea in the front of my brain until it’s one in the morning and I still haven’t fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapters again whoops sorry i figure one update is better than none


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